The Dreamer
by coalbunker
Summary: Unable to rid himself of his dreams about Harry, Draco decides to act. What will become of Harry relationship with Fred?Chapter 18 & a note about chapters 19&20


Title: The Dreamer

Chapter title: Chapter 18 -Consequences

Rating: R – For this chapter at least ;)

Pairing: Harry/Fred & Harry/Draco

****Important Authors Note**** The main purpose of posting this chapter here was to give people the chance to find out where my story will be posted now that NC17 stories have been removed from the site. The original notice I posted was deleted after a couple of hours because your not supposed to just post messages : ) I discovered. It helps if you read the rules. Anyway if you want to read the rest of this story then check out my website www.geocities.com/thecoalbunker. All the chapters are there, most of which cannot be reposted at Fanfiction.net till they've had some major editing and to be honest I'd rather finish the story then rewrite. I also posted chapter 20 today. Okay that's about it… Thanks. ****** **

Summary: Unable to rid himself of his dreams about Harry, Draco decides to act. What will become of Harry relationship with Fred?

Recap: You need to have read chapters 1-17 for this chapter to make sense. For those who have and can't remember exactly what happened in chapter 17 – Harry had just broken up with Fred and ended up shagging Draco. This chapter begins a couple of days later. 

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the wizarding world they belong to J.K. Rowling, I am just using them because they are fantastic and I am waiting patiently for the fifth book to come out.

*******

**Harry's Heartbreaking Clandestine Affair   
By Margaret Bishop**

Harry Potter is nursing the pain of a broken heart after being dumped by millionaire businessman Fred Weasley at the weekend. In a short life already filled with painful memories, this latest tragedy could be the final straw for the Boy Who Lived. 

Fred Weasley and his twin brother George first captured the media's attention when their company Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes (WWW) burst onto the scene just over two years ago. Providing a unique range of sweets, gadgets and prank-orientated paraphernalia, the WWW's range of products quickly captured the imagination of children and teenagers everywhere. The Weasley twins saw their company snare the largest share of the joke/confectionery market and it wasn't long before the boys, of relatively humble origins, became multi millionaires. However, despite the continued success of their company the Weasley twins' are more likely to feature in gossip columns then in financial pages, courtesy of their sordid, hedonistic lifestyles. Fred's love them and leave them approach to relationships has claimed a number of casualties over the last two years, but this time Fred may have gone too far.

When Dorothy (Dot) Brigand stormed into our London office demanding to speak to the editor we were sceptical of her claims at first. How could Dot, a retired (unsuccessful) alchemist, know anything about Harry Potter and Fred Weasley? Yet after listening to her tale of woe we were convinced she was telling the truth. "I was so disturbed by what I saw and so concerned for Harry that I had to tell someone," a teary Dot confided. 

In Hogsmeade for her weekly shop, Dot was appalled by what she overheard at the three broomsticks on Saturday. Slightly hard of hearing, Dot always takes Hearall (a hearing-heightening potion) before her shopping escapades. "My hearings not so good these days but I love to chat to the shop assistants when I come to town. So I take the potion." Unfortunately for Weasley, her hearing was far too acute in the small establishment. 

"My heart wept for the poor mite (Harry). It was so horrible to witness, I almost wished I hadn't taken the potion," Dot confided, obviously still troubled by the incident. "He looked absolutely shattered when Mr. Weasley told him that he didn't want to see him anymore." 

Not content with breaking Harry's heart, Weasley then proceeded to stomp all over the pieces. Dot revealed that a distraught Harry was forced to listen as Fred gloated about a new lover. Weasley went so far as to say his new lover was 'more worthy' and could better fulfil his needs. Inconsolable in the face of Weasley's unnecessary cruelty, Harry rushed from the establishment in a fit of tears. 

While little is known about the affair, it is believed to have started sometime during the summer when Harry was in London for the holiday's. The number of times Harry has snuck out of school to rendezvous with Weasley since returning to Hogwarts can only be guessed at, but according to Dot the couple looked exceptionally intimate prior to the break-up. "Harry looked absolutely delighted to see Mr. Weasley, he was grinning from ear to ear. Then Mr. Weasley kissed him, quite passionately in the middle of the three broomsticks, that's why I was so shocked when Mr. Weasley said he didn't want him anymore." In short, they greeted each other like lovers, sharing such an intimate embrace it is unsurprising that Harry was also stunned by the news. 

Although neither party was available for comment, the President of the Harry Potter Fan Club, and close personal friend of Harry's, was more then willing to speak out on his behalf. Kate Smith became a firm friend of the young wizard after their accidental meeting in Diagon Alley last December. 

Despite having been in close contact with Harry ever since, Kate had not even known about their clandestine affair. "I am shocked to hear such terrible news." She sobbed, lovingly stroking her heart shaped, 'Harry 4 Ever' cushion. "It saddens me to think someone could do this to him. He's such a sweet, innocent guy. I really hope that he is going to get over the rejection, but I suspect it will take some time. When Harry gives his heart to someone, he does so fully and it will take him a long time to get over the betrayal."

How then, did Harry fall into the clutches of such a heartless playboy as Fred Weasley? 

In light of Weasley's callous behaviour, we were shocked to discover that the pair had actually known each other for 'years'. During their time at Hogwarts, the Weasley twins were in Gryffindor house with Harry. Moreover, they all played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team together. Harry Potter has been the Gryffindor seeker since his first year at Hogwarts (now also captain), while Fred and George Weasley played in the beater positions. Alarmingly the connection between the two extends even further then a mere school acquaintance and it is this deeper connection that renders Fred's deplorable actions unforgivable. 

Ron Weasley, the twins' younger brother, is none other then Harry's best friend. Harry has frequently visited the Weasley household. Bereft of a decent family environment since the death of his parents, the Weasleys' have become an important part of Harry's life. With such close ties one might expect Fred to have been more considerate of Harry's feelings, yet just the opposite is true. Weasley showed Harry even less respect than any of his previous lovers, who would more likely be able to handle such callous behaviour than an orphaned schoolboy. 

These close ties however, help to explain the need to keep the affair a secret. Kate smith agrees, firmly believing that it was Fred who would have insisted the relationship remain secret. "Harry's been looking for someone special for a while now and he wouldn't have kept this relationship from me unless he was coerced into it by someone." 

It is hard to understand why anyone would want to keep their relationship with the famous wizard a secret unless their intentions were dishonourable from the beginning. The facts suggest that, never serious about Harry, Fred demanded the relationship be kept from everyone to avoid creating any hostility within the Weasley family. It would have worked and Harry would have been forced to suffer in silence if it wasn't for Dot and her determination to see some justice for Harry. 

Family riffs aside, one can only wonder about the broader repercussions of this tragic affair. The effects of this particular scandal on WWW could be dire. The President of the Harry Potter Fan Club is calling for a boycott of all WWW products. "You just cant go around treating Harry Potter like that without expecting there to be repercussions," Kate declared passionately. "Our members will certainly stop buying WWW products and we hope that others will stand alongside us - and Harry - and boycott the company." Its unfortunate that George might very well end up paying for his twins' callous behaviour. 

Our hearts go out to Harry. We at the witches' weekly hope he finds the love he deserves.

*******

Humming quietly to himself, George moved about his bedroom getting ready for another long day at work. He was just putting the finishing touches to his hair when he heard a shrill voice sound from somewhere outside his room.

"Fred!" The female voice screeched again. 

What was she doing here, George wondered, recognising the voice instantly. He moved quickly, heading out his room and straight towards where he thought she might be. 

"Shh mum," George hushed as he strode into the lounge. 

His step faltered when he caught sight of his mother. Although George had seen his mother angry on many occasions he had never seen her looking as furious as she did now. Her mouth was drawn in a tight line and clutched in her hand was a rolled up magazine; she held it so tightly her knuckles were white with stain. 

"What's this all about?" George said carefully, not wanting to exacerbate her anger. 

"Where's Fred?" she snapped, ignoring his question. Suspicious eyes travelled quickly over George as though she suspected him of harbouring his twin under his clothes. 

"He's sleeping mum," George gulped, "…I think he went to bed quite late last night." 

"I suppose he was with this… floozy," she snapped angrily, waving the magazine agitatedly. 

Floozy? "Mum what are you talking about?"

"Read this," she muttered, frantically flicking through the magazine and handing it to him once she had found what she was looking for. 

As she screamed out for Fred again George busied him self with the article. He couldn't bite back his gasp of surprise when he saw the heading, Harry's Heartbreaking Clandestine Affair. Various pictures of Harry and Fred accompanied the article. The contrast was laughable; while Fred was pictured with a number of different men Harry was looking sweet and innocent in his Hogwarts robes. 

George didn't know what to think as he read the article, none of it made any sense. Fred had told him on Saturday that he had a great time with Harry and yet the article claimed that they were no longer dating. George dismissed the claim that Fred was seeing someone else as false; Fred had never cheated on anyone. His brother always made sure his partners knew that any relationship they had would be strictly casual and they would be free to see other people. Harry was the first serious relationship in his brothers life, there was no way he would cheat on Harry after their relationship had developed from the early days of their casual affair. 

"Fred!" Molly shouted again, banging her fist loudly on his bedroom door. She gasped and stepped back in surprise when the door suddenly flew open revealing a sleepy looking Fred. 

"What?" Fred mumbled grumpily, rubbing at his tired eyes. 

"What did you do to Harry?" She demanded angrily.

"What?" Fred gasped, his eyes widened in surprise.

"After everything he's been through, how could you treat Harry so badly Fred?" She sounded so disappointed, George felt himself wince on his twin's behalf. Fred took a step back from her and opened his mouth as if to say something but she got there first. "Is he in there?" she hissed. 

"Who? Harry?" Fred muttered in absolute confusion. 

Not bothering to reply, she barged straight past Fred and into his bedroom, presumably in search of the mystery lover mentioned in the article. Fred watched her go in bemusement before turning to look questioningly at George. 

"Here," George said quietly, walking over to give him the magazine. "You might want to read this." George kept his eyes firmly fixed on his brother as Fred read over the article. He felt his stomach sink when his brother muttered quiet 'oh' of understanding. The article was more or less true, George thought sadly. 

"Shit, no wonder she's pissed," Fred said, looking up from the magazine. Mindful of their mother's presence, George just patted his brothers back reassuringly while they waited for their mother to return. 

"He's not there," she said a moment later as she stomped back into the room. She looked almost disappointed to have missed having the chance to 'meet' the man. "Why would you do something like this Fred, I cant understand it?"

"Mum it didn't happen like is says in here," Fred whined, holing up the magazine.

"So why didn't you tell me you were going out with Harry?"

"Well Harry didn't really want to tell people at first so we kept it to ourselves. I certainly didn't force him to keep it a secret mum," Fred explained. 

"And I suppose Harry's the real reason you stayed at Hogwarts after Ron's accident last week?" 

Fred nodded guiltily. 

"Were you cheating on Harry then?" she asked, her voice indicating Fred had better give the correct answer. 

"No I wasn't mum," Fred snapped defensively. 

What followed was an excruciating half hour during which their mother tried desperately to get Fred to tell her exactly what he had done and why. Fred however, remained stubbornly unhelpful; he merely insisted it had not happened like the article claimed but refused to give an accurate account of the event.

"I'm very disappointed in you Fred," she said sadly, looking intently at her defiant son. "I've refrained from commenting whenever you've been in the press before, but this time Fred you really have gone too far. Harry is practically a member of our family, I just cant for the life of me understand why you would treat him like this and if you wont tell me what did happen I'll just have to presume the article is right." 

"Assume what you like," Fred snapped, "I don't want to talk about this anymore." 

"Mum I think you should go… we can talk about this later," George said quietly, desperate to control the situation before it got out of hand. Both his mother and his brother had a tendency to say things they didn't mean when they were upset. "Mum," George added warningly when she looked as though she was about to refuse. 

"Alright I'll go," she said, staring at Fred with a masked expression. "When you do feel like telling me why you've done this to Harry, you know where I'll be." With a curt nod in Georges direction, she disapparated out of the lounge.

"Thanks for getting rid of her George," Fred muttered, slumping down wearily onto the couch. "I don't know how much more I could have taken." 

George nodded and then asked in concern, "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better," Fred said, smiling shakily. 

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" George asked after a moment. He felt bad for pressing Fred but he, like his mother, just couldn't understand what had happened. 

"I really hadn't planned on it getting in the papers,' Fred muttered, rubbing at his temples. 

"You still could have told me Fred. You had all weekend to tell me about it," George said, unable to keep the hurt from creeping into his tone. 

"Look I'm sorry George but I really didn't want to talk about the whole thing," Fred said edgily.

"So you lied to me? I asked you how it all went and you said it went fine - that you had a great time."

"I know and I'm sorry, I should have told you but it was much easier for me to just say nothing," Fred explained honestly, his eyes pleading with George to understand. 

"I thought you and Harry were happy together?" George said honestly as he sat down on the couch next to his twin. 

"We were."

"Then I really don't understand Fred. Why did you two break up?" George asked, hoping his brother would actually answer the question this time. 

"I don't know, it just felt as though it was the right thing for me to do," Fred muttered evasively. 

"Don't give me that shit Fred," George snapped impatiently, feeling inexplicably angry all of a sudden. George forced himself to take a calming breath before continuing, "Did Harry do something to you?"

"No, Harry didn't do anything. I just decided that it was for the best George. We would have broken up anyway… anyone could see that. Eventually Harry would have worked out that he was too good for me and he would have left. At least this way it doesn't hurt as much," Fred said quietly, tears forming in his blue eyes. 

George snorted in a mixture of disbelief and amazement. He'd had absolutely no idea Fred thought he wasn't good enough for Harry but then how could he, it was a ridiculous idea. "Harry likes you Fred and, from what I can tell from seeing you together, he may even love you… If you tell him that your sorry, and that you haven't really met someone else then I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"I don't want him to take me back, so just leave it would you." Fred said in a loud tone. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to get ready for work."

**************

Ron stared down at the magazine in his hands, Harry's face smiled back up at him brightly. "You might want to read this," Seamus had said as soon as Hermione and Ron had sat down at the table. While Hermione had immediately jumped at the chance to find out what happened between Harry and Fred, Ron still wasn't sure he should read the article. 

Of course he wanted to know why the pair had broken up, but he couldn't help thinking that by reading the article he might betray Harry. His best friend hadn't told him anything more about the incident and Ron wondered if perhaps Harry really didn't want them to know. 

"Are you going to read it?" Hermione asked as she dished out some scrabbled eggs onto her plate. 

"Umm… yeah, I was just thinking," Ron muttered vaguely. He dared not mention he was having doubts about the appropriateness of reading a gossip style article about his best friend and his brother. Hermione had after all, already read the article and she would take his comment as a personal insult against her morality. 

Taking a deep breath, Ron flicked open the magazine and flipped through the pages until he found the article. He could only really help Harry if he knew what had happened, Ron rationalized to himself. As Ron wanted to make Harry feel better, it served as enough of a justification for him to begin reading. 

Even though some of the content was plainly untrue, such as the section claiming Fred demanded the relationship be kept secret, it was far worse then he had imagined. Ron knew that his brother was a bit of a playboy but he had never thought Fred capable of treating Harry so badly. The article was right about Harry being a part of their family and he felt anger towards his brother for treating Harry in such a way. It just wasn't the sort of thing you did to family. 

"What a prick," Ron muttered as he read the last line of the article. 

"Ron, don't jump to conclusions!" Hermione warned, dropping her fork loudly onto the plate. "Do you remember when Rita Skeeter wrote all those horrible things about me?" 

How could he forget? Hermione had been dating the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum, and Ron had been so insanely jealous he doubted he could ever forget his fourth year at Hogwarts as a consequence. All in all, it had been a particularly horrible year. 

"Of course I remember," Ron said quietly. 

"Well then you'll remember that most of the article was completely untrue! The media just do this sort of thing," Hermione said, gesturing towards the offending magazine with distaste.

"I know that Hermione but Fred…"

"I really think you should give Fred the benefit of the doubt. You have absolutely no idea what actually happened and yet you're mad at Fred and fighting with Ginny." Hermione said sternly, waving her hands agitatedly as she spoke. "You were so cruel to Ginny," she added in a quieter tone, sounding disappointed by his behaviour. 

Ron sighed out loud; he really didn't want to discuss Ginny at the moment. Perhaps he had been cruel to his sister, but then he had been furious with her at the time and as far as he was concerned she had done nothing since to alter his perception. Not once had Ginny even asked if Harry was feeling okay; she just didn't seem to care. 

"Look I'm sorry Hermione but I'm still mad at them," Ron said defensively. "I'm just looking out for Harry … He's so upset by what Fred's done." 

Glaring angrily in Ron's direction, Hermione snatched the magazine out of his hand, flipped it open to the article and said, "Fred needn't have cruelly stomped over the pieces of his heart for Harry to be upset. They broke up Ron; of course Harry's going to be upset. I bet Fred is also unhappy."

"I doubt it if they broke up because Fred was cheating on Harry," Ron pointed out quietly.

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Look Ron," she said in a patronising tone, "…its not the end of the world. Harry will get over this. He's young. I doubt it will take long for him to bounce back or even find someone else."

"I don't know Hermione," Ron said doubtfully. "You didn't see him this morning or yesterday." She shrugged her shoulders as if to say it wasn't important and then went back to eating her breakfast. Ron shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't help thinking she wasn't taking Harry's problem or his feelings very seriously. Ron however, knew better then to comment. Hermione could be extremely sensitive at times. 

Ron wondered what he was supposed to do to make Harry feel better. Whenever he'd tried to comfort Harry over the weekend his friend had either ignored his efforts or told him to go away. Most of the time Ron hadn't gone away, he's spent a lot of the weekend watching Harry starring off into space with a near constant stream of tears pouring down his cheeks. 

"Wow Ginny you look great!"

Ron was forcibly drawn from his thoughts by Hermione's sudden screech of delight. He looked up in time to see his sister slipping into a vacant space at the table. As far as he could tell, Hermione was referring to the bun like contraption Ginny had sculpted out of her hair. She also appeared to be wearing makeup. His first instinct was to glare at her meanly and he didn't feel even remotely guilty when he saw the hurt look in her eyes.

"What's the special occasion?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"No special occasion, I just felt like making an effort today," she said, smoothing her hair self-consciously. Would that be a special effort for Harry's benefit, Ron wondered bitterly. 

"Well it certainly paid off," Hermione said, smiling happily at Ginny. Ron could tell she was being especially nice to Ginny to make up for what he had done. 

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked quietly, glancing quickly from Hermione to the empty seat where Harry usually sat and back again. 

Suspicions confirmed, Ron thought, though he didn't feel any satisfaction about being right. She really had no shame at all. Not trusting himself to refrain from saying something harsh to his baby sister, Ron stopped listening to their conversation entirely. As he ate his breakfast, Ron slowly flicked through the magazine again; he deliberately avoided the article about Harry.

Ron was so absorbed in an article about the Chudley Cannons seeker; he failed to notice the sudden quiet in the hall or Hermione's attempts to attract his attention without speaking. 

"Hey Harry!" Hermione said attempting to sound happy but there was a distinct note of panic in her voice. 

"What are you reading?" Harry asked, pointing at the magazine as he slipped into the seat opposite Ron. 

"Nothing!" Hermione and Ron yelled at the same time. He'd sounded too panicked, Ron thought as he tried to hide the magazine. He saw Harry's eyes cloud over, and then his friend glanced around the Great Hall. When Harry turned back to look at him, Ron saw that his friend understood why everyone was looking at him and suspected what was in the article. Surprisingly he didn't look angry, more resigned. 

"Give it here," Harry commanded, holding out his hand expectantly.

"Okay," Ron mumbled, reluctantly handing over the magazine.

Ignoring the fact that just about everyone was staring at him, Harry began to read the article. Ron contemplated cursing everyone in the great hall but thought better of it; he opted for glaring around the room to show his contempt for their sick fascination instead. They were probably hoping Harry's reaction would be dramatic enough to be worthy of their attention, Ron thought angrily. 

"Well," Harry said slowly. Unsure of what he should say, Ron settled for giving Harry a tight-lipped smile. 

"Are you okay Harry?" Hermione asked, reaching over to pat Harry's hand reassuringly. Perhaps she was taking this seriously, Ron thought, feeling slightly guilty for suspecting her of not caring. 

"I'm fine," Harry said, pulling his hand out from underneath Hermione's. 

"Is that what happened Harry? What it says in the article?" Ron found himself asking, though he knew he shouldn't press his friend. 

"More or less," Harry said quietly, looking down at the empty plate in front of him, "You can get rid of the bit about Fred gloating though. He didn't do that… he was quite n-nice about the whole thing really." Harry finished, his lip quivered slightly. 

Ron felt his stomach sink. He'd hoped Harry might have denied it; he really didn't want his brother to have cheated on Harry. 

"Lucky Kate Smith was there to speak on my behalf," Harry joked, managing to laugh for a second before stopping abruptly. It sounded so false, like Harry was trying to force himself to be happy for their benefit. 

"Are you sure you're all right?" Ron asked pointlessly. He knew Harry was far from all right. Even if he hadn't have known what happened, he still would have known something was wrong. Harry looked like shit, like he hadn't slept in weeks and like he would never be happy again. 

"Yep."

"You don't look fine, maybe you should go see madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested, gnawing at her lip worryingly. 

"There's no need Hermione… I'm perfectly fine."

"Well you have to eat some breakfast then," she said dishing out some of Harry's favourites. "You've eaten nothing all weekend."

"No thanks, I think I'll just go owl Sirius. If he sees that article he'll be worried." Harry said quietly as he got up from the table. Not waiting for them to respond, Harry turned on his heel and walked quickly towards the exit. 

"Perhaps you were right Ron," Hermione said, starring at Harry's retreating back, " …this is going to be harder then I thought."

"What should we do?" 

"I think we'll have to be especially nice to Harry, until he's feeling better. He needs to be surrounded by his friends, so he knows that we still love him even if Fred doesn't."

"Do you think we should go after him?"

"I think that would be a good idea. He really shouldn't be alone when he's feeling like he is." 


End file.
